A district-by-district breakdown of SouthCoast's 2013 MCAS scores

In Massachusetts overall, scores on the 2013 MCAS were mixed, with 69 percent of students scoring proficient or higher in English, 61 percent in math and 53 percent in science. Here's how SouthCoast districts compared:

In Massachusetts overall, scores on the 2013 MCAS were mixed, with 69 percent of students scoring proficient or higher in English, 61 percent in math and 53 percent in science. Here's how SouthCoast districts compared:

Students performed roughly on par with the state, with 68 percent of students scoring proficient or higher in English, 67 percent in math and 47 percent in science.

Broken down by test and grade level, Acushnet students outperformed the state in all areas, except in fifth- and seventh-grade English and fifth-grade science.

"Overall, I'm very pleased," Superintendent Stephen Donovan said.

The state named Acushnet Elementary School a Level 1 school, its top designation, and Donovan said student growth — how individual students performed this year compared to students who received the same score last year — was strong.

Students had a strong performance in the upper grades, although the district as a whole did not improve and in some cases declined compared to last year.

"We're fortunate because we have great students who perform very well," Superintendent Ana Riley said. But "one of our frustrations is that the data is relatively flat because we feel like we really have been working hard to move those scores."

Overall, 74 percent of students scored proficient or higher on the English Language Arts exams, 67 percent on math, and 59 percent in Science and Technology/Engineering.

The DeMello School joined the Middle School as a Level 1 school, the top ranking in the state's five-tier system, which is based on a mix of performance and growth. The other schools in the district are Level 2.

"Level 1 is not the end," Riley said. "We want 100 percent of our kids to be proficient or advanced, but being Level 1 at least gives the students and staff an opportunity to celebrate that they're at that point."

Overall, students outperformed the state on the English and math exams, with 73 percent of students scoring proficient or higher on the English exams and 63 percent on math. On science, 48 percent of students scored proficient or higher, compared to 53 percent statewide.

Superintendent Robert Baldwin said he was encouraged by the fact that eighth-grade math scores met the state average for the first time, rising 10 percentage points at Hastings Middle School compared to last year.

"We've been playing catch-up for 10 years, so for us to be at the level of the state in math, it's significant," he said.

Improvement on the eighth-grade math exams was offset by declines on the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade math tests. In the past few years, Fairhaven schools have put a "major emphasis" on elementary school math for those grades, Baldwin said. Principals will be using the scores to put together plans for review by the School Committee, he said.

"MCAS are a great tool to verify that what you are doing is right or to move you in a different direction," he said. "The scores just emphasize we need to continue putting the emphasis on upper elementary math."

The district's 2013 MCAS scores were similar to the previous year as students scored significantly above state averages at almost every grade level. Overall, 76 percent of students scored advanced or proficient in English, 68 percent did so in math and 69 percent did in science.

The two elementary schools and the high school were ranked Level 1, while the Intermediate School and Middle School were Level 2.

The district's weakest performance came in Grade 4, where 52 percent of students were advanced or proficient in English, down nine points compared to 2012, and 46 percent in math, down 13 points.

At Apponequet Regional High School, 93 percent of 10th-graders registered advanced or proficient in English, 88 percent in math and 82 percent in science.

The city's scores showed gains in some schools but the district's overall averages remained flat, with 44 percent of students scoring proficient or higher in English, 36 percent in math and 25 percent in science.

New Bedford High School dropped in the state's five-tier ranking system to Level 4, while slightly fewer than half of the schools in the district, 11 in all, ranked as Level 3, meaning they are among the bottom fifth in the state.

The Carlos Pacheco Elementary School was again the top-scoring elementary school in the district, with 61 percent of students scoring advanced or proficient on English, 68 percent in math and 38 percent on science. Pacheco was followed by the Ashley School.

Kempton, which the state moved into its top Level 1 category, also made gains on the English, math and science exams, with 50 percent of students scoring advanced or proficient on English and 43 percent on math. Congdon Elementary also moved up in the ranks, from Level 3 to Level 2.

"We have some real pockets of success but at the same time, this demonstrates that the level of rigor and the level of focus has to happen in every classroom, in every school," Superintendent Pia Durkin said. "It's not about a few schools. It's about all our schools if we're going to see change."

At Global Learning Charter Public School, 60 percent of students scored proficient or higher in English, 42 percent in math and 24 percent in science. The school, which has grown in the last few years, showed declines in most areas, with the exception of sixth grade, where scores nevertheless remained below the state average.

Furtado said the elementary tests focused more than expected on material drawn from the new Common Core curriculum that the state has adopted. "We've been aligning with the Common Core since it came out, but it obviously has made us pay a lot more attention," Furtado said. "It's a change of focus, it's a change of direction and it's a year of adjustment. ... We all know that our fifth- and sixth-grade scores need to do better and that's been our primary focus."

Alma del Mar received its first MCAS results ever, with 49 percent of its third-graders scoring proficient or higher in English and 79 percent in math, trailing the state average by 7 points in English, but beating it by more than 10 points in math.

"We are pleased with the progress our scholars have made in mathematics and will continue to challenge them in this subject so that they leave here able to compete with the best students in the country," Executive Director Will Gardner said in a statement.

Gardner said the school has retooled its schedule and academic programs in response to the results in English. "Our scholars still have a ways to go to catch up in reading," he said. "We have a real sense of urgency about getting them where they need to be."

In the tri-town communities, students outperformed their peers from across the state, with averages remaining mostly flat compared to last year.

The elementary schools in Mattapoisett and Marion ranked as Level 1 schools in the state's five-tier system, which measures a mix of performance and growth, while Rochester Memorial and the junior high are Level 2 and the high school is Level 1.

The state also recognized Old Hammondtown School in Mattapoisett as a Commendation School and Old Rochester Regional School Superintendent Douglas White said students there showed "tremendous growth" in this year's MCAS testing. "We are pleased overall."

In Marion, 76 percent of students scored proficient or higher in English, 87 percent in math and 64 percent in science.

In Mattapoisett, 83 percent of students scored proficient or higher in English, 74 percent in math and 79 percent in science.

In Rochester, 72 percent of students scored proficient or higher in English, 68 percent in math and 62 percent in science.

In Old Rochester Regional, 90 percent of students scored proficient or higher in English, 72 percent in math and 65 percent in science.

Overall, Wareham trailed the state averages, with 58 percent of students scoring proficient or higher in English, 48 percent in math and 36 percent in science.

"Overall, we know we still have a lot of work to do," said Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood, who started Aug. 1. "Fortunately, we have a staff willing to dig in and do the work necessary for us to show improvement."

The state named Wareham High School a Level 1 school, its top ranking.

Sophomores there generated improved scores from 2012 across the board, including a 17-point increase in mathematics to 76 percent proficiency and a 14-point jump in science, technology and engineering to 60 percent proficiency.

At Wareham Middle School, student scores were mixed, and results for the town's two elementary schools were disappointing. At Decas Elementary School, scores dropped in all but one category, while those at Minot Forest Elementary School were only marginally better, except in Grade 5 where students registered improvement by five points in English and 16 points in mathematics.

"I don't believe the scores at the middle school and at the Decas School are showing the kind of progress that we would like to see," Shaver-Hood said. But, she said, "I'm confident that next year at this time, we will see progress in all our schools."

Students in Westport scored mostly in line with the overall state average, with 72 percent receiving proficient or higher grades in English, 62 percent in math and 50 percent in science. There was little change compared to 2012, except in science, which declined by 10 percentage points. Fewer students participate in science exams, and the test was introduced more recently.

"Looking at the growth, I'm seeing small, steady (progress)," Superintendent Carlos Colley said. "I think we're all hitting those same limits with what we have to work with."

Westport's eighth-graders had the strongest performance compared to other grades, unlike other districts, where sophomores tended to come out on top.

Colley said many students leave the district after eighth grade, resulting in a smaller number of students taking the 10th-grade exams. Colley also said the district has focused on improving programs, particularly in the elementary and middle schools, and over time expects to see payoff reflected in the high school scores.

The district saw its lowest scores appear on its third- and fourth-grade English exams, where 55 percent and 51 percent of students scored proficient or higher respectively.

"We're going back into the elementary and into the middle schools to change systems there, but what happens at the high school then is they have to wait three or four years for the kids to get to the high school," he said.